She & Him (aka actress Zooey Deschanel [Almost Famous] and musician M. Ward) have made one of the purest pop releases in years with their debut album, Volume One. The disc is full of good vibrations and the uptempo confessional pop that Carole King championed on her mega-selling Tapestry album. Add in some of the la-la lushness of '60s girl groups and a bit of modern twang, and you have the recipe for something special. The voices here are pretty, the guitars (courtesy of Ward) are warm, and the harmonies perfect, but there's a simple sweetness throughout that holds back the sugar-shock that can often come with pop outings.
Deschanel takes over lead vocal duties for most of the album, and "She" shines no matter what the task at hand is. She sails effortlessly through the breezy, bouncy vocals on "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" one of the album's strongest songs. The tune's gentle beat and tinkling piano keys make this one a charmer. "Change is Hard" is slowed down and hazy, so Deschanel channels some twang and gives us an idea of what Patsy Cline would have sounded like if she had a chosen a pop path. "Black Hole" also has an alt-country feel with just a sprinkling of ooh-la-la pop to keep things moving along. If you're looking for a master class when it comes to singing all things pop, look no further than Volume One's closer, "Sweet Darlin." The vocals are so sweet and strong on this one that it threatens to push popsters like Petula Clark right out of the pantheon of pop singers.
The only place these two falter, and it's a very minor misstep, is on their cover of the Miracles’ "You Really Got A Hold On Me." Ward duets with Deschanel on this stripped-down version. There's nothing inherently wrong with She & Him's take on the oft-covered song; it's just that they don't really add anything new. The same could be said of their take on the Beatles’ "I Should Have Known Better." All in all, these two just don't need to be doing covers when they have such strong originals at hand. It's a minor quibble, though, for what is overall a bright, sunny album that leaves us eagerly awaiting Volume 2.
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